Chapter 11: We Are a BurdenLin Qinghe turned and walked into the courtyard, only to see her three younger siblings all looking up at her silently.She smiled at them gently. "What's wrong? Are you hungry? I'll go make dinner right away.""No rush, big sister. I'm not hungry yet," Lin Qingbai mumbled.Lin Qingmiao quickly nodded in agreement. "I'm not hungry either. Actually, it's fine if we skip dinner. Heiya told me that if you close your eyes and sleep at night, you won't feel hungry anyway."What kind of talk was this? Lin Qinghe found it somewhat amusing. "Heiya's family is struggling, so they have to ration their food. We're not in that situation yet. You're all growing, so you shouldn't go hungry."After saying this, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Qingmiao was only five years old—just a child, still full of childish innocence, yet now she seemed to understand everything."Big sister…" Lin Qingsong called out, opening his mouth as if to say something, but then he lowered his head without speaking."What's wrong? Are you tired from working? Then go rest."Lin Qingsong shook his head and muttered, "I heard what you were talking about earlier."Hearing this, she couldn't help but show a hint of helplessness. Were they sensible? Not necessarily. Eavesdropping on adults' conversations was probably something children loved to do."If you heard, then you heard. Just don't go spreading it around." Zhao Zhengping wasn't wrong about one thing—breaking off an engagement hurt the woman more. People wouldn't consider the reasons behind it; they'd just assume the woman was at fault, that she was disliked and rejected. So, the lower-key such matters were handled, the better."We definitely won't go around talking about it, but others will," Lin Qingsong said worriedly, looking at her. Some women in the village loved gossiping about such things behind others' backs."We can just ignore what others say. After a while, when the talk dies down, no one will bring it up again." That was just how things were in a village like theirs. If something happened in one household, people would gossip about it for a long time. Breaking off an engagement was no exception—it was inevitable that others would point fingers.Lin Qingsong looked up, feeling conflicted. He wasn't afraid of people talking behind his back, and that wasn't what he had meant to say. How had big sister suddenly steered the conversation in this direction?"Big sister, what I meant was… do you really have to break off the engagement?" He had heard clearly earlier—Zhao Zhengping's meaning was that as long as big sister abandoned them, he wouldn't break off the engagement."Mother said Zhao Zhengping is a scholar and will have a bright future. If you break off the engagement with him, you'll regret it later. Once it's broken off, you'll never find another scholar like him," he said, lowering his head.Lin Qinghe sighed helplessly. "Then what do you want me to do? Listen to him and abandon all of you?"Hearing this, Lin Qingmiao widened her eyes in shock. "Second brother, have you lost your mind? Father is gone, Mother remarried—if big sister doesn't take care of us either, what are we supposed to do?"Lin Qingbai quickly tugged at her arm. "You don't understand anything. Don't speak out of turn."This concerned big sister's entire future. Once the engagement was broken off, it would be hard to say what kind of family she could marry into. Even though he was still young, he often heard people talk about such matters. Besides, he could read and write, and he often pondered things, so he understood more than most children his age. On this matter, he saw far more clearly than Lin Qingmiao.Lin Qinghe let out a long sigh. "Did you hear that? If I were to abandon you all, what would become of you?""I…" Lin Qingsong opened his mouth, but after uttering the word "I," he couldn't continue. He wanted to say, "I'll support the family. I can take care of myself and my younger siblings. I won't let my older sister break off her engagement because of us."Yet he was painfully aware that he lacked the ability. Forget supporting his siblings—he might not even be able to support himself. Without his older sister, they might truly starve to death.As for Mrs. Su, she had always been a delicate person, incapable of doing any household chores. Now that she was married into the Wang family, what could they expect from her? Her words sounded comforting—she promised to send food back and ensure they wouldn't go hungry—but so far, they hadn't benefited from the Wang family in the slightest, nor had they received any tangible help."Older Sister, we're a burden to you," Lin Qingsong said, tears welling in his eyes, feeling deeply sorry for her.Lin Qinghe smiled gently. "Don't talk about being a burden. In this lifetime, being siblings is our fate."Compared to her previous life, where she had no parents or siblings, the bonds of kinship in this life made her feel that living held more meaning. Even though their days were hard, the obedience and understanding of her younger siblings brought her comfort."That's right, that's right! Older Sister is absolutely right. And there's me too. Having a sister like me is a blessing you all earned in your past lives," Lin Qingmiao said with a smile.As long as her older sister didn't abandon them, she was happy. As for other matters, they were beyond her concern."Second Brother, Third Brother, don't look so gloomy. The elders in the village often say there's no obstacle that can't be overcome. Even if Older Sister breaks off her engagement, she'll find a better husband.""What do you know? If Older Sister breaks off her engagement, her reputation will suffer. What decent family would be willing to marry her?" Lin Qingsong sighed heavily."The Zhao Family might not be a good family either. That Aunt Qian curses people so fiercely in the village," Lin Qingmiao said, pursing her lips with a hint of disdain.When their parents were still alive, she had been a mischievous child who ran all over the village. She knew many things clearly.Lin Qinghe reached out and patted her head. "Aunt Qian is an elder. No matter her faults, you mustn't speak ill of her behind her back. Otherwise, how are you any different from the village gossips? Do you want to become like them in the future?"Lin Qingmiao stuck out her tongue. "Fine, I won't say it then. But what I said is true.""True or not, you can't judge things only by appearances. Aunt Qian is fierce because she's a widow. If she weren't tough, others would bully her."She could understand Mrs. Qian quite well, though this person was too obviously disdainful of the poor and enamored with the rich, showing no regard for sentiment."Older Sister, how can you still think she's good?" Lin Qingmiao was puzzled. She had spoken ill of Mrs. Qian to vent her anger on behalf of her older sister, but instead of agreeing, her sister was now defending Mrs. Qian.Seeing her expression, Lin Qinghe understood her meaning perfectly. She felt both amused and exasperated. Shaking her head, she said, "It's not that I think she's good, but rather that her way of handling things is appropriate."After a pause, she continued, "Take our family for example. Father is gone, Mother has remarried, and without adults to protect us, we have to stand up for ourselves. If we back down every time someone bullies us, more and more people will come to bully us in the future. On the other hand, if we fight back the moment we are wronged, anyone who thinks of bullying us later will have to think twice."The three children nodded vigorously upon hearing her words.

Eldest Sister of a Farming Family: Managing the Household, Farming and Opening Shops